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A Government body is using a blockchain system for the first time in the food sector to track the distribution of meat in a cattle slaughterhouse, in the hope that the nascent technology will make it easier to safely keep track of beef supplies.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has completed a pilot of the technology, which allowed it to access and share information with the slaughterhouse to track meat for inspection.

Better record-keeping around meat supplies and quality could help prevent a repeat of the 2013 horsemeat scandal, in which food advertised as beef included undeclared horsemeat.

It is the first time blockchain, which is a secure digital ledger that can record transactions between parties in a verifiable way, has been used to ensure compliance in the food sector.

The use of blockchain in the public and private sector has long been heralded by the technology’s advocates, which believe it is the future of large scale contracts, transactions and currency. However, blockchain critics say that the tech is overhyped and is less efficient than using existing databases.

FSA information management head Sian Thomas said: “This is a really exciting development. We thought that blockchain technology might add real value to a part of the food industry, such as a slaughterhouse, whose work requires a lot of inspection and collation of results.

“Our approach has been to develop data standards with industry that will make theory reality and I'm delighted that we've been able to show that blockchain does indeed work in this part of the food industry.”

The FSA worked alongside experts from the Government, food sector, technology industry and academia to develop a network of replicated, shared and synchronised digital data.

A further pilot is planned for July, which will grant farmers access to data about animals from their farm. Should this further pilot prove successful, private companies could join the blockchain programme to allow the FSA to collate and communicate inspection results.

Thomas said: “I think there are great opportunities now for industry and government to work together to expand and develop this approach.”